How do I love thee? Let me count the ways
by Five seas
Summary: A short dabble. Ren grills Sally about why the Lilly 5 actually got together.


**Has it really been so long since I dabbled? Unacceptable!**

**I don't own Shaman King or Fruits basket. **

Title of this ficlet is from Elizabeth Browning's "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

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How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.**

"Well, you have to admit, you five are hardly the textbook definition of a perfect family."

Sally opened her eye just a notch, which made her look like a sleepy lion. Cross that. A sleepy lion which an annoying fly wouldn't leave alone.

Although Ren was hardly one you could swat away – the guy rarely showed interest into other people's lives, but when he did, he pursued his interests with the persistence of a dog. She used to find it endearing, until he decided to pry into her life. She had to blame Anna for this – all the soap operas she was watching were getting into the guys' heads.

Where else would he have gotten the idea that you needed to get to know the person you're sleeping with?

Their current argument, which had started from his request that she tell him how the group had gotten together, was already annoying her. In spite of her agreement, "We had the same goals," he was still having a hard time understanding how the five women, so different, had gotten together. Her attempt to point out how different his own comrades were from one another had failed to dissuade him.

"Why don't you just tell me?"

"Because there's nothing much to tell!"

"I dare to disagree. The five of you look like pieces of a different puzzle." He paused. "Except for Ellie and Millie."

Well, yeah, he did have a point there. Ellie and Millie, Lilly, Sharona and herself were from different towns, different social groups, different upbringings. Their shamanic powers were the only thing they seemingly had in common – on their own, they were nothing but liabilities, but together, they could actually stand a chance at surviving the fight. To anyone, it looked like they tolerated each other out of necessity.

Although you could say the same thing about Sally and Ren, and yet the two of them were, for all intents and purposes, together.

She sighed and rolled over. "What can I say? We were all social rejects. We bonded."

"Because your powers made you outcasts? And yet you don't seem to get along with most of the people here at Patch."

Sally gave him a good-natured glare. "Four is a company, five is a party, two hundred is a crowd."

"I'm just saying that it's surprising."

"It's not. Fucked up finds its own brand of fucked up. Takes one to know one." She poked his side. "As you would know if you paid any attention."

"I do too pay attention. What do you mean when you say 'fucked up'?"

She sighed dramatically. "I mean to say we have all had some pretty messed up stuff in our lives."

Ren nodded. With that, he could sympathize, although it still baffled him. Sure, he had his friends, but their ways were very light-hearted, almost free. Everyone was allowed to be himself.

The Lilly 5, however, always herded together like a pack of frightened animals. They were hard to like, even harder to become friends with, but they were loyal. Not in the crazy, religious way the X-laws or Hao's men had been, but a lot more. Their loyalty outstood their personal interests. It was what fascinated him, what he wanted to know.

Sally sighed. "I can't tell you what happened. It's not my story to tell. You should just know that we didn't like ourselves very much before we met."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Didn't like yourselves?"

"Yup. Self-esteem was practically zero. You wouldn't understand." He really wouldn't. Guys had their own ways of proving their self-worth to themselves. Girls, not so much. Their self-esteem was practically all they had, since society pretty much forbade them from displaying any sort of passionate emotion or originality. Ellie, for the longest time, had left herself be defined by her boyfriend. Lilly – by her grades. Sharona had tried to let her deeds speak for her, but ultimately, she had wanted to prove to herself that she was a person worth knowing. Sally… Sally pretty much relied on her strength to get her through life.

She blinked at Ren. "Sorry?"

"Why is that?" he repeated. "Why would you have low self-esteem? And more importantly, how would that bring you together."

She shrugged. "I guess because we had no-one to love us."

The worked like a slap in the face. He stood up. "What?"

"I said…"

"I heard. But what does that have to do with anything?"

Sally rolled her eyes. "How can anyone like themselves if all they see are negative qualities to begin with? I mean, can you draw out any optimism from your short temper? Your anger?"

No. In fact, those things had defined him throughout the first round, until Yoh had defeated him. And even then, the repercussions had haunted him well into the second round.

Seeing his admission in his face, Sally simply shrugged. "There is only one way for you to see the good in yourself, and that's when somebody loves you unconditionally. That sort of thing usually is left to the parents, but neither of us had much luck in that department." She laughed mirthlessly.

Ren was still frowning. "But the five of you are…"

"Friends," Sally said the word like she could taste it. "I think it's because of Millie."

"Millie?"

"Yeah. She was so young… all she ever wanted was not to be hated. We couldn't not adore her." Sally smiled. "We're many things, Ren – foul-mouthed, bitchy, slutty, manipulative, bitter, but around her, we tune it down. We want to tune it down. She makes us want to be better people, and that slowly makes us aware of our own good qualities."

Ren had fallen silent, and she opened her eyes to look at him again. "Hey? Did I send you over to the deep end by any chance?"

Ren looked at her and gave her something he very rarely gave anymore – he grinned. "Have I told you I loved you yet?"

Sally pretended to think about it. "Maybe an hour or so ago. Before you started grilling me."

Ren leaned in until they were inches apart. "Unacceptable. I should be doing this every minute of every day."

She smirked right before he kissed her. "Yes. You should."


End file.
